Dear Friend of Midwest Food Bank, What an extraordinary time this is! Just one short month ago, we would not have thought all of the changes we've been through were possible. And yet now many of us are sheltering in place, watching unusual events unfold. Much has changed in the 15 years since Midwest Food Bank began providing Disaster Relief after ...
Each day, MFB volunteers go to local grocery stores - HyVee and Kroger - to gather perishable food. That food includes artisan bread from the bakeries at these stores. Food pantries shared with us that these loaves of bread are often passed over by their clients because they can't or may not want to slice them. Sometimes a small change makes ...
If you've been to the Morton warehouse of Midwest Food Bank you probably noticed the big machine that produces Tender Mercies meals. It's kind of hard to miss. That machine doesn't run itself - MFB depends on dedicated volunteers. Those volunteers not only operate the machine but they clean and maintain it, too. It's easy to talk about the numbers,...
Our plans are usually not God's plans. Don Owen, director of God's Warehouse, in Morristown, Tennessee will tell you that. Owen is one of 850 volunteers in his area that serve Nolachucky Baptist Association. There are several arms to their ministries - one being disaster relief. "Quite honestly, we let the Lord direct our path," Owen says. As the C...
Our plans are usually not God's plans. Don Owen, director of God's Warehouse, in Morristown, Tennessee will tell you that. Owen is one of 850 volunteers in his area that serve Nolachucky Baptist Association. There are several arms to their ministries - one being disaster relief. "Quite honestly, we let the Lord direct our path," Owen say...
Merilee Baptiste came to Arizona right after college for the sunshine. That carefree decision landed her a 22-year career at Vanguard and eventually, Midwest Food Bank. On Feb. 1, Merilee joined the MFB team as Executive Director of MFB Arizona. Merilee had been volunteering at various non-profits and started volunteering at MF...
Every day at Midwest Food Bank Arizona, we bear witness to small miracles and huge acts of faith. Consider our rapidly growing Tucson satellite facility run by volunteer leaders Curt and Caroline Kaufman. The Tucson site operates Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings and is staffed entirely by volunteers. For the Kaufmans, the idea for the ...
Haiti, long susceptible to the ravages of natural disasters, corrupt governments, and frequent unrest, can now add the COVID-19 pandemic to its list of challenges. With the virus present in Haiti, President Jovenel Moise has closed all airports, seaports, factories, and schools. Given that Haiti only produces 50% of the food needed to feed its...
National Volunteer Week, April 19-25, celebrates the impact of volunteer service across the nation and in our communities. We invite you to be a part of this special week. Midwest Food Bank Bloomington-Normal volunteer efforts are still planned in our warehouse with some slight modifications. We are all focused on health and sh...
This is an unprecedented season of Disaster Relief at Midwest Food Bank. Responding to the needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is posing unique challenges. Most states are experiencing work suspensions and quarantines, causing food insecurity. Rather than sending relief to a single disaster area, our partner, The Salvation Army, has been re...
Midwest Food Bank Indiana works alongside many ministries to help people in need. One of these is Saul to Paul Ministries in Ellettsville. It is an in-house recovery program for men over the age of 18. This no-cost program uses the Bible as its curriculum and helps men that struggle with life controlling sin and addiction. These are encourage...
Volunteering at Midwest Food Bank can fit into any work schedule. At MFB, we get creative when it comes to finding just the right volunteer job for every person. That's the case for JayLyn Knobloch, a third-shift nurse. Even though she works night shift at a local hospital, JayLyn wanted to volunteer at MFB. "I love the community and love what...
When we say Midwest Food Bank volunteers do just about anything and everything, we mean it. Drive 3 1/2 hours to pick up food? Sure, no problem. Scrub a warehouse floor? They get after it. Speak to a community group about the MFB mission? No stage fright here. Recently at the Bloomington/Normal warehouse, three volunteers were recognized for ...
Support for Midwest Food Bank Peoria comes from many people and businesses. Recently, it came from just a few steps away. The national headquarters of MH Equipment is right next door to MFB Peoria. It employs over 900 people and has 28 servicing locations across 10 states. MH employees will walk over to MFB Peoria to volunt...
Midwest Food Bank Texas has a new fork lift. It is more energy efficient than the units we have been using. Along with the trade-in of an older unit, a grant provided the funds to purchase this new forklift. Also new at MFB Texas is the arrangement of our warehouse pallet racking. The reorganization creates a safer and more efficien...
As Haiti recently rang in the new year, they paused on January 12 to recognize the 10-year anniversary of the devastating 2010 earthquake. The aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake was horrifying with government estimates of up to 316,000 lives lost and as many as 5 million Haitians displaced from their homes. Initially, the outpouring of solid...
MFB Peoria is blessed to be able to stand between those who have and those who need. Generous food and monetary donors allow us to accept and warehouse food to distribute to partner agencies. To increase the value of the food MFB distributes, we have been focusing on retrieving more nutrient-dense foods like fresh fruits and v...
Ministries across Kenya often reach out to Kapu Africa (MFB East Africa) to make specific requests known. Recently the founder of Hilton's Heroes, which has a school literally in the city dump in Nakuru, Kenya, contacted Kapu Africa Board President Denny Mott with some urgent news. The Kenyan government has conducted a nationwide crackdown on schoo...
"Nikama Mungu ameshuka" is how children in Kenya described an unplanned visit from Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) in December. That Swahili phrase translates "God has come down". Kapu Africa delivered milk and yogurt to two sites in the Nairobi area on a December day. Godwin Matswa, a Kapu employee, arrived at Bondeni Rescue Center nea...
We launched the Impacting our Community campaign last summer. We are excited about the progress that has been made. Phase I of the construction project is building a 4,500 sq.ft. freezer/refrigerator. We have raised 75% of the funds needed to complete the freezer project. Our goal is to break ground and begin construction in the Spring and have Pha...
